The Very Last List of Vivian Walker

Now that I've got cancer, I know I should be letting go and just being in the moment with my child but, seriously, what mother has got time to spend with their kids?

Vivian Walker's life is exceptionally ordinary. Average husband, check. Darling son, check. Refrigerator in a state of permanent disarray, check. Everything is thoroughly and frustratingly routine, even being terminally ill.

After receiving her diagnosis, Viv's family won't let her lift a finger . . . for at least a week. But once the novelty wears off, she's lucky to get a cup of tea for her trouble. In preparation for D-day, self-professed control freak Viv has made a list of essential things to do, such as decluttering the playroom and preparing her taxes. She doesn't expect to become spiritually enlightened or have any outlandish last-minute successes. All she wants is to finish her unfinished business.

As her final days unfold, Viv realises her life has become a love letter to the mundane but she still manages to keep her wicked sense of humour and cynical take on life unapologetically intact. The Very Last List of Vivian Walker will make you ugly cry, snort tea out your nose with laughter and want to embrace humanity in all its selfishness, beauty and awkwardness.

This quiet but compelling novel follows the very ordinary path of an ordinary woman completing the ordinary business of dying. However, it is in this ordinariness that the heart of the novel lies. Vivian Walker has always been a list-maker: she makes lists for herself, lists for her family and, importantly, lists for her husband Clint-which never seem to be completed. So when Viv learns she has terminal cancer and only a few months to live, she makes the last list of her life. But this isn't a bucket list kind of story. There is something so beautifully relatable about Viv's very practical final desires to cull her closet and paint her bedroom doors, rather than take extravagant trips or revisit old regrets. She is supported by memorable secondary characters who all have their own role to play in her life and on her path to death. Special mention needs to be made of the portrayal of Viv's young son Ethan and the pain Viv feels in leaving him and the hopes she has for her future. The arc of her relationship with her husband is not dissimilar: Clint is a source of ongoing frustration but also of commitment and acceptance, which becomes clear as Viv's life shrinks to its very core. Not a story of transformation or big revelations, The Very Last List of Vivian Walker is a small, touching story that provides insight into how even the most ordinary person can leave a lot of love behind. Kate Cuthbert is program manager at Writers Victoria.

Megan Albany is a proud First Nations woman of Kalkadoon and European heritage who has worked as an editor, scriptwriter, songwriter/composer and journalist. She has written for publications including The Guardian (UK), Metro (Ireland), Irish Echo and the Koori Mail . She was both a writer and editor for leading Indigenous magazine Deadly Vibe ; the founding editor of InVibe magazine for Indigenous youth in custody; and was a researcher for Can It Hurt Less? , an SBS documentary into Australia's juvenile justice system. For five years she was part of the scriptwriting team for the Deadly Awards (the Deadlys), the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Music, Sport, Arts and Community Awards, which screened on SBS TV, and she was one of the founding concept developers for the NITV health programs Living Strong and Move It Mob Style .Megan has a Masters in Creative Writing, has taught creative writing as part of the Disadvantaged Schools Program and has taught literacy on Pitjantjatjaran lands. The Very Last List of Vivian Walker , her first novel, was shortlisted for The Banjo Prize in 2020 and highly commended in the Australian Society of Authors 2020 Award Mentorship Program. Megan lives with her thirteen-year-old son, her husband and their moodle in the Northern Rivers of NSW.

Vivian Walker is dying. This is not on her list of things to do. A darkly funny debut that proves even the most imperfect of lives is worth celebrating. 'A heartbreakingly funny, unflinching, unforgettable debut. I just loved Vivian Walker!' LIANE MORIARTY 'Will make you laugh, cry and realise that even the most ordinary life is full of extraordinary moments' MAMAMIAVivian Walker's life is exceptionally ordinary. Average husband, check. Darling son, check. Refrigerator in a state of permanent disarray, check. Everything is thoroughly and frustratingly routine, even being terminally ill.In preparation for D-day, Viv has made a list of essential things to do. She doesn't expect to become spiritually enlightened or have any outlandish last-minute successes. All she wants is to finish her unfinished business. The Very Last List of Vivian Walker will make you want to embrace humanity in all its selfishness, beauty and awkwardness.'This novel has humour and pathos in spades - I laughed and cried' THE SATURDAY PAPER 'Compelling. Beautifully relatable. A touching story' BOOKS+PUBLISHING 'Darkly funny and will leave you uplifted. Megan Albany blends the tragedy with the humorous' WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN 'A fun take on a tough topic' THE AUSTRALIAN WOMEN'S WEEKLY 'A fun read that gets to the meaning of life through death' SARAH L'ESTRANGE, ABC 'Remarkably talented' WHO 'Funny and heart-breaking in equal measure, a skilfully wrought study of the difficult art of dying in our society' LIVING ARTS CANBERRA 'I cried reading this debut novel. I also laughed and despaired . . . the type of novel that you'll read quickly and that will compel you to find your family and hold them tight' READINGS 'An abundance of humour, spirit and profundity . . . an accomplished debut' BETTER READING 'Uplifting and impactful' BETTER HOMES & GARDENS 'Megan Albany has written a novel that is funny, real, and never glib; it is clear she loves all her characters' QUEENSLAND REVIEWERS COLLECTIVE

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.